News & Media

FNF

India – promoting transgender rights

November 27, 2018

Friedrich Neumann Foundation for Freedom shares its views on CLPR’s work on transgender rights. This includes a transgender rights course taught at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore, as well as the Trans Law cell headed by CLPR.

End of ‘face value’ in senior designation, towards transparency in legal elevation

November 25, 2018

The Karnataka High Court example amply demonstrates that the new process of senior designation gives confidence to the young lawyers without ‘connections’ in the legal profession. It gives them hope that if they are deserving, no one can take away their opportunity to be one day considered for the senior designation. Conferral of this distinction has been duly democratised

Noted women rights and child rights lawyer Jayna Kothari — who has worked with Jaising in the past — has also been designated as a senior advocate.

Teenager beheaded in southern India in caste-based violence

November 2, 2018

The beheading of a 13 year old girl in Tamil Nadu is another example of caste based violence perpetuated against women. In this article CNN quotes Jayna Kothari who argues for looking at these crimes in an intersectional way: as caste and gender based violence.

Marriageable age should be uniform for women and men, NHRC tells govt

October 29, 2018

ThePrint’s article discusses NHRC’s recommendation to make the age of marriage uniform for girls and boys as 18. It quotes Jayna Kothari. She argues that there is no logic in also fixing 18 as the marriageable age for men.

When I had brought out the issue of casting couch, everyone had denied its existence

October 21, 2018

In the wake of the #MeToo movement that has seen several actors come forward with their stories of sexual harassment and abuse, including those in the Kannada film industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE) want people from the industry to raise their voices. Jayna Kothari, is a member of FIRE’s Internal Complaints Committee.

Film Industry for Rights and Equity (FIRE) was formed 18 months ago by a group of people including actors, directors and technicians, who have been vocal for the need to address sexual harassment women in the industry. FIRE has appealed to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce (KFCC) to refer all sexual harassment complaints they receive to FIRE’s Internal Complaints Committee. Jayna Kothari is on the FIRE’s Internal Complaints Committee.

Order, order

October 13, 2018

This article looks at the judgments of the Supreme Court in Section 377, adultery, and Sabarimala cases. It quotes Jayna Kothari on Akkai Padmashali, transgender rights activist, who was one of the Petitioners in Section 377 case. Jayna says ““Akkai insisted on telling her story”.

Rethinking Urbanization and Right to the City

October 2, 2018

Mathew Idiculla was invited to speak at the “Rethinking Urbanization and Right to the City” Conference which was held on October 2nd, 2018 in the context of the World Habitat Day . “In the 150th birth anniversary of Gandhiji, it is only fitting that we talk about local self government, decentralization of governance”, he added while speaking on the 74th Amendment to the Constitution of India, 2018.

377 judgement aids fight for transgender rights

September 6, 2018

This is a video response of Jayna Kothari on the Section 377 verdict.
While the transgender community is fighting their own separate legal battle in recognition of their rights, the decriminalisation of homosexuality by the Supreme Court today will aid the fight for transgender rights, says Jayna Kothari.

TRANS-forming Courts | Jayna Kothari

July 24, 2018

“TRANSformation of courts” throws light on the drastic conditions of the transgender community. Jayna feels that it is important that stories of the daily lives and experiences of trans people must be told in the court.In a world full of muffled silences, she made sure their voices were heard. By fighting these cases, she hopes that the courts, the State, public authorities, and society see trans persons not as criminals, but as citizens, with equal constitutional rights. Watch this video to understand the burning need to make our society inclusive of all the marginalised communities.

Fall of Sec. 377 will embolden LGBTQ people: CJI

July 12, 2018

Ms. Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of CLPR, represented Dr. Akkai Padmashali, a trans-rights activist, in Section 377 challenge. Ms. Kothari argued for scrapping Section 377 and cited several state laws which target transgender community and classify them as ‘criminals’. Her arguments were covered by The Hindu.

Amendment to make child marriages void should be introduced soon – Jayna Kothari’s interview with Business Standard

April 2, 2018

Business Standard interviewed Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of CLPR, on the issue of child marriage in India.
Child marriages in India, says a report by UNICEF, have significantly decreased, but the rate of decline remains slow. The Supreme Court has struck down a legal clause that allowed intercourse with underage brides, but at present child marriages still remain valid, a situation that is expected to be addressed soon. Jayna Kothari, Supreme Court advocate and Executive Director of the Centre for Law & Policy Research, Bengaluru, tells Nikita Puri why despite the fall in numbers, there is no room for complacency on child marriages.

Sudhir Krishnaswamy on government school enrollment and RTE

April 1, 2018

The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2009 has been constantly criticized. It has often been cited as a reason for poor enrollment in Government schools and loss of Government funds. This article published in The Hindu, takes on those claims by relying on the data from a study conducted by Azim Premji University. Sudhir Krishnaswamy, Managing Trustee of CLPR and Director of the School of Public Policy & Governance Azim Premji University, has been quoted to state that the financial burden on the Government towards reimbursement of private schools is minuscule. He further disputed the link between denial of RTE quota seats in private schools leading up to enrollment in Government schools.

UN: 12 million girls married during childhood annually

March 6, 2018

A report by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF) released on Tuesday revealed that while there is a decrease in the global percentage of child marriages, more than 150 million additional girls will be married before their 18th birthday by 2030.

UNICEF’s conclusions on India came after comparing data from its 2006 and 2016 health survey that asked women in the 20-24 age group whether they had married before they turned 18. It also took into account child marriage data from the 2011 census.

From ‘voidable’, child marriage to turn illegal

March 4, 2018

The Centre is moving ahead with a proposal to amend an existing law so as to make all future child marriages in the country invalid from the outset, according to two senior government officials familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified. Currently, child marriages are valid but can be annulled on request.

Differently-abled get Karnataka High Court relief in reservation for LPG distributorship

February 10, 2018

On 10th Feb 2018 the Karnataka High Court stayed all proceedings with respect to the allotment of 238 LPG distributorships in the state by the Indian Oil Corporation. A division bench of acting Chief Justice H G Ramesh and Justice P S Dinesh Kumar stayed the post-notification proceedings after hearing the PIL filed by Karnataka Rajya Vikalachetanara Rakshana Samiti who claimed that no statutory reservation was provided to differently-abled people. Jayna Kothari, counsel of the petitioner, contended that IOC had reserved only 6 positions for the disabled, which amounted to less than 3 percent of the total distributorships, which did not comply with the 5 per cent mandated under Section 37 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.

‘Extremely positive step for women’s rights’

November 10, 2017

In the organisation Independent Thought’s challenge to the Exception 2 to Section 375 of the IPC before the Supreme Court, Jayna Kothari represented the Child Rights Trust as an intervener. The organisation works in Karnataka against child marriage. Both Justice Lokur and Justice Gupta, in their concurrent judgments reading down the Exception, complimented Jayna Kothari for her contribution and research, which helped in deciding the case.

Cell to provide free legal advice to Transgenders

October 10, 2017

The Deccan Herald’s issue dated 12.10.2017 offered an in-depth coverage of the efforts undertaken by the Centre for Law & Policy Research towards empowering the Transgender community by setting up a free weekly legal aid cell for their assistance.

Mental Health In India: Toss The Taboo

October 1, 2017

Jayna Kothari was one of the panelists in this episode of ‘We The People’ which discussed mental health in Indian society.

According to the World Health Organisation, India is the most depressed country in the world with 36 per cent of citizens battling depression or other mental health issues. Suicide is the leading cause of death among young people. Adding to the grim picture is the almost negligible size of mental health care sector with just three psychiatrists per million Indians. On this edition of We The People, we ask: Is it time we acknowledged the existence of a looming threat to India’s young demographic in the form of severe mental crises? Can a measly expenditure of 0.06% of the health budget tackle this growing menace?

CLPR launches 4 Week Course on Transgender Identity & Laws

September 13, 2017

The Times of India covered CLPR’s course on transgender Identity & the Law. The course consisting of seven sessions was designed by Jayna Kothari, Executive Director of CLPR and introduced at the National Law School of India University, Bangalore on 30.08.2017.

Legal Aid? What’s that, ask prisoners

July 27, 2017

In our research, we have designed a qualitative study of court observations over a period of 45 days in lower criminal courts chosen randomly in three districts in Karnataka i.e. Bengaluru, Dharwad, and Tumakuru.

Justice Kumar disapproves tendency to destroy Constitution

January 27, 2016

On Republic Day, 2016 the Centre for Law and Policy Research launched the CADIndia website at the Karnataka Judicial Academy, Bangalore followed by a panel discussion on ‘Constituent Assembly Debates in Contemporary Times’.

Identify hearing disability at early stage, says US expert

February 15, 2014

Speaking at the seminar, Jayna Kothari, Founder, Centre for Law and Policy Research, Bangalore, said “a number of children with learning disabilities had no avenues of help from the government as their disorders do not come under the ambit of Person’s with Disabilities (PWD) Act, 1995.”

Rethinking Punishment

December 31, 2013

Earlier, in August 2013, some media reports suggested that the Ministry for Women and Child Development was firming up to the view that juveniles in the age bracket of 16-18 years committing heinous crimes should not have the protection of Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2000 (JJ Act). This post argues against such proposed move.

The Centre for Law and Policy Research is representing a Bangladeshi national who is a victim of human trafficking and has been made to sign a bond imposing a payment of Rs 25,000 for her release. The imposition of the bond is currently being challenged in the High Court of Karnataka.

Boon for Suicide Survivors published

September 4, 2013

Jayna Kothari has been cited in Boon for Suicide Survivors published in the Telegraph on September 4, 2013. She gives her opinion on decriminalization of Section 309 of the IPC and its impact on women facing domestic violence.